The macadamia nut or bauple nut is a native of Australia. Growing in rainforests, along river banks and damp places in Queensland and northern New South Wales. For thousands of years before European settlement they were part of the aborigine diet. The first commercial orchard of macadamia trees was planted in the early 1880s by Charles Staff at Rous Mill, south of Lismore, New South Wales.

The macadamia was introduced into Hawaii about 1882 on the Big Island where it was used as an ornamental plant and for reforestation. The University of Hawaii and did research on the macadamia for over 20 years improving the varieties. The importation of improved and named varieties into California from Hawaii began about 1950.

Outside of Hawaii and Australia, macadamia is also commercially produced in South Africa, Brazil, California, Costa Rica, Israel, Kenya, Bolivia, New Zealand, Colombia and Malawi. Australia is now the world's largest commercial producer.